Gone Too Soon
by Things in Ink
Summary: The Doctor has to tell Jack that Rose is gone, but he doesn't expect to see such a familiar face. Set after Rose is sent to the parallel universe. For another-rose-in-the-tardis on Tumblr.


**Hello! I wrote this story because of a request from another-rose-in-the-tardis on Tumblr. Enjoy!**

The Doctor sighed, as he leaned against the doorframe of the entrance to the TARDIS. For the past few weeks since he had lost Rose, he had felt numb. He had blindly spent days, trying to figure out a way to get to her. He spent hours preparing to see her again, trying to figure out what to do, what to say. Finally, he saw her. He talked to her. It was the first time he hadn't felt empty. But as soon as he had his chance, it was taken away. He didn't get to finish what he had to say, and it felt horrible. He felt like he had betrayed her.

He would have been fine being alone for a while. If he couldn't have Rose, what was the point in having anybody to offer company? But instead of being left alone, a woman popped into his blue box. He didn't know how or why, but he got her, at least for a little while. That was when he was snapped out of his sorrow. The Doctor had to help people, because that was what they were counting on him to do. So he did. He raced around and fixed problems and helped people who needed it. That was until one day, he realized something upsetting to him.

Rose was gone, and she couldn't ever come back.

That was when he stopped. He took a break from being the hero. He let himself come to terms with it. That was when he decided he needed to tell Jack. After all, Rose did save his life. The Doctor knew they were close. Jack probably didn't even know whether she was safe. He needed to know.

It took the Doctor some time to prepare for what he was going to tell Jack, until he finally pushed open the door. London, 1878. He knew Jack would be right where he was. He stepped out of the TARDIS and ran up to Jack, who was a few meters away from where the Doctor had landed.

"Jack!" The Doctor called. The man turned around, his face breaking into a smile.

"Doctor! Good to see you! Is Rose with you?" The Doctor's smile faltered for a second. It had been a while since he had heard anyone say her name. He matched Jack's stride, and they walked down the sidewalk.

"That's why I'm here, actually. I had to tell you something." The Doctor hesitated. "Rose... She's gone."

"Gone?" Jack asked, his voice wavering as he took in the news. "As in... Dead?"

"No, not dead. She got sent off into another dimension. I got to see her, though, for a few minutes. She seemed okay. I miss her a lot."

Jack looked down. "Well," he said after a minute, "At least she's okay."

"Yeah. She's-" The Doctor stopped midsentence, turning towards a church across the street. Sitting upon the steps was a young woman in her wedding dress, tears streaming down her face. The Doctor broke into a sprint, Jack following closely behind him.

"Rose! Rose, it's me! It's..." The Doctor trailed off. The woman sitting in front of him looked confused.

She sniffed. "I think you have me confused for someone else. My name isn't Rose. It's Rebecca."

The Doctor's face fell. "You're.. Not Rose Tyler? You look exactly like her."

Rebecca smiled sadly. "I actually would have been Rebecca Tyler, but that didn't exactly work out," she said, gesturing towards her dress. "Well, whoever she was, I'm sure Rose was very important to you. It's not every day that you see someone run across a busy street to get to someone else. Would you like to sit?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head. "Sorry," he said, "But we really have to get going." He turned away, ready to get back to the TARDIS, when he stopped and looked back at the woman. "I'm sorry. I hope you end up happy, Rebecca."

She smiled, wiping her eyes. "Thanks. I hope you find who you're looking for."

The Doctor's face fell, just a little bit. "I don't think I will. Have a good day." He walked briskly back towards the TARDIS, leaving Jack with Rebecca.

"Hi. My name's Jack," he said with a smile.

"Rebecca." She smiled back at him.

"May I sit?"

"Sure."

x.x.x.x.x

The Doctor felt nothing as he opened the door to the TARDIS and stepped inside. The woman was a shocking reminder that Rose was gone, and she was not coming back. It hurt as much as that day. After a while, he got back up. After all, he had to get back to helping people. That's what he did. It still hurt, but he had things to do, so he stood up, and flew the TARDIS away.


End file.
